Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity Struggling to Cast Lead

How many actors can genuinely open a movie based on the power of their headlining? Very few. Now of those thespians, how many are women? That’s the problem currently facing Warner Brothers.

"TOLDJA" says trouble is afoot on Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron's latest. The science fiction project centers on a woman in space and her race to return to Earth and her daughter. Simple enough description, but the production is quite ambitious (to be filmed in 3D, a combination of live-action and heavy motion-capture work and a large portion of the film dictated solely to our protagonist a la Tom Hanks in Cast Away).

The problem is such a production will be timely and, more importantly, expensive and Warner Brothers wants someone who can firmly secure asses in seats to justify making this flick. Angelina Jolie (who was originally offered the project) has now twice rejected the opportunity to star and the studio is reportedly struggling to find a suitable candidate in her place.

Even with Robert Downey Jr. co-starring (although it's a supporting role and he’ll be in and out between filming the Sherlock Holmes sequel for WB) this puts Gravity in serious doubt. Knock on wood, the studio and Cuaron will find their lead. But it ain't looking so good, and I was really looking forward to this one. Dammit!

New Sucker Punch Image

A new image has been released from Sucker Punch courtesy of Cruel Films. It got the same reaction outta me like the trailer did: Eh, I don't know, fellas.

Sorry, but the movie looks like ideas pieced together from a first-time filmmaker (in this case, a hyper-active fourteen year-old boy) and his definitions of what's cool. Hot girls not wearing much, samurai swords, robots, dragons and Jon Hamm.

I guess if this clicks, it'll be viewed as the "comeback film" of Zack Snyder after the commercial (but absolutely by no means creative) failure of Watchmen back in March 2009. I know the footage presented at Comic-Con went over great. But don't for a second, think the tastes of a bunch of nerds/geeks/fanboys reflect that of the general public. Did you learn nothing from Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim?!

Dwayne Johnson Joins Journey to the Center of the Earth Sequel

If this was Career Rehab, Dwayne Johnson fell off the wagon. Hard.

His career was reduced to PG-rated, family-friendly fare for awhile. Although that was a wise-career move at the time, that well ran dry and Johnson since promised a return to the charismatic ass-kicker who showed so much promise with The Rundown. He recently appeared in The Other Guys last month and has a couple more in the foreseeable future: Faster this November, the fifth installment in the Fast & the Furious franchise next June and Protection.

So it's sad to read he's fallen back into the bottle with the revelation he'll co-star in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (as per Heat Vision).

We're talking about the same Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel nobody was asking for, Warner Brothers is fast-tracking like mad for next September and even Brendan Fraser wanted nothing of (not without the return of director Eric Brevig, that is). It even stopped Josh Hutcherson from swinging on wire-harnesses for Marc Webb's 3D Spider-Man reboot.

But we're getting it, so tough shit. If you don't like it, then don't waste your $10. We'll instead spend that time pondering what the Hell Johnson (and/or his representation) is thinking.

Mission: Impossible 4 Loses Its Title

They might as well come clean and admit this will be the last installment with Tom Cruise. Assuming this makes enough money to warrant a fifth one next Christmas.

The trades report the fourth Mission: Impossible will surprisingly not be titled Mission: Impossible 4. The logic behind the move relates to The Dark Knight being the first Batman movie not to feature the World's Greatest Detective's name in the title, and that made $1 billion! I get what they're saying, but...stop.

It's common knowledge by now the studio has worried of the waning box-office appeal of Cruise. But such a move as this sends a clear message. He's out after M:I IV or "The Really Hard To Accomplish Spy Adventures!"

Then again, it's a minor miracle he's even back for this one.

Kung Fu Panda Screenwriters Penning Karate Kid 2

Sony's hot to get a Karate Kid sequel going ever since the remake high-kicked ass at the box-office. They've been openly taking pitches from anyone in town since its $56 million opening in June.

Heat Vision reports the screenwriting duo of Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris have been assigned the gig. How much of their hiring had to do with the connecting-the-dots of their writing Kung Fu Panda? Not knocking their skills, mind you. Their Nottingham script was said to be a great read before Ridley Scott & Co. decided to take the original "The Sheriff of Nottingham is the good guy" take and turn it into "The truth behind the legend" for Robin Hood.

One assumes the core cast (Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson) had options locked into their initial contracts. But there's been nothing to suggest they or director Harald Zwart won't return for second helpings.

Alex Kurtzman: Writer, Producer, Director!

Alex Kurtzman is responsible for blockbusters ranging from Star Trek (Ya!) to Transformers (Booooooo!)

Next stop is the director's chair. Vulture reports he'll make his helming debut with Welcome to People. Written by Kurtzman, his writing/producing partner-in-crime Bob Orci and documentary filmmaker Jody Lambert, the drama centers a twenty-something delivering $150,000 to an older sister and a young anger-troubled nephew he never knew existed.

Interestingly enough, Kurtzman was up for directing a number of high-profile projects including the latest Jack Ryan reboot Moscow. That makes the notion of Jonah Nolan directing Superman: The Man of Steel sound less crazy, eh? But he opted to start in the smaller route with People, a script actually penned six years ago. 

Steven Spielberg will produce for DreamWorks and casting is expected to start up in the not-too-distant future.

But rest assured, fellas, this doesn't affect Star Trek 2.

Star Trek Team Boldly Going for Dark Knight Status on Sequel

Neither Star Trek nor Batman Begins reinvented the wheel. But they aimed for the same formula and succeeded. Reboot a dead franchise by having your first movie reintroduce your lead(s) to modern movie-goers with a classic hero's journey. Win over people who never in a million years thought they'd actually enjoy one of "those movies."

So when you get to the sequel, you can head in any direction you please. According to writer/producer Damon Lindelof (speaking to E! Online), they know where they're headed and the Nolan/Batman comparisons won't stop with just the first movie:

"We're looking at a movie like The Dark Knight, which went one step beyond Batman Begins. It was really about something, and at the same time it was a superhero movie. We don't want to abandon all the things that made the first movie work...but we also really want the movie to thematically resonate."

Translation: shit will hit the fan. Maybe there are high-ranking Federation members not crazy about "some punk kid" becoming a Starfleet captain, Spock and Uhara's relationship hits the skids or Scotty and his li'l midget/alien sidekick relieve their sexual tension. Mixed together with plenty of sci-fi action and Bones McCoy.

Jeremy Renner Set to Co-Star in Mission: Impossible 4

As great a film it was, can’t say too many folks actually saw The Hurt Locker. So I'm not 100% certain Jeremy Renner is that well-known to the masses. Yet.

He'll soon appear in Ben Affleck's The Town next month (I’m going in with realistic expectations, i.e. not expecting another Gone Baby Gone. That would be unfair to Affleck). Then there's The Avengers where Renner will play the bow-and-arrow yielding hero Hawkeye next to Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man, Chris Evans' Captain America, Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Samuel L. Jackson as himself.

Well, it doesn't stop there. "TOLDJA" reports he's in talks to co-star in Mission: Impossible 4. Not exactly something I pegged him to show up in. After all, he did reportedly turn down the more interesting-sounding Battleship (albeit that could end up being the turkey of summer 2012) and was/is still up for a lead role in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master.

The idea is presumably he'll take over the franchise in the case that Tom Cruise loses his shit (again) and he doesn't have a golden goose in J.J. Abrams to back him up a second time.

This move also kills the chances of Chris Egan, Kevin Zegers and Renner's Hurt Locker co-star Anthony Mackie of joining the fourquel. Their planned screen-tests have reportedly been cancelled.

Bernie Focker Returns

"TOLDJA" confirms a report originating from Vulture a few weeks back.

Dustin Hoffman has come aboard Little Fockers. He’ll be tacked on to a weeks' worth of additional photography along with Ben Stiller and the kid actors shooting new material. Word is the threequel shits. I guess the studio thought Meet the Fockers was comic-brilliance by comparison.

Universal even contemplated nuking director Paul Weitz altogether. But it didn't come to that and the producers/studio gave in to Hoffman's pay demands.

Will his late-minute involvement help the bottom-line? I haven't seen the trailer in front of an audience. So I can't gage how the general movie-going public will take to seeing this a thrice-times over. My guess is they eat it up.

No, I don't have much faith in mankind...

Chris Egan, Anthony Mackie & Kevin Zegers Up For Mission: Impossible 4

A couple of young lads yet to break out (although they've done plenty of work) are up for roles in Mission: Impossible 4. Guess that means we can finally put to bed those "doom and gloom" reports of it falling apart?

The Wrap reports Aussie actor Chris Egan (Resident Evil: Extinction), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) and Kevin Zegers (the '04 Dawn of the Dead remake) have auditioned and will soon screen-test. No word if all three are vying for the same role, and whether the role in question is a baddie or a new member of IMF.

Whoever is cast will join Cruise (obviously), Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg under the direction of Oscar-winning Pixard Brad Bird.